The FAMOS school day: Fostering confidence in a diverse body of
early-career polar marine scientists
Abstract
The Forum for Arctic Modeling and Observational Synthesis (FAMOS) is a
project funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation to advance the
science of Arctic physical, chemical, and biological marine modeling. It
is further designed to foster collaboration with marine
observationalists and those who wish to work with Arctic marine
modelers, e.g., atmospheric scientists, glaciologists, hydrologists,
terrestrial ecologists. FAMOS holds an annual workshop of
~120 people and spawns numerous collaborative projects
that have filled three special JGR collections and more. Attendance at
FAMOS workshops is a mix of senior researchers and early-career
scientists. The final three days of the 4-day workshop consist of
AGU-style short talks, break-out sessions, and panel discussions. But
the first day is devoted to the FAMOS School, wherein ~
40 graduate students, postdocs, and early career polar scientists attend
5 longer-format (~ 35 minute) lectures. Discussion
sessions are especially highlighted, and senior scientists in attendance
are not allowed to speak. A “wild card” after-lunch session is devoted
to various topics, e.g., outreach, alternate career choices, and
geoengineering. The day ends with a working dinner in which further
discussions and networking occur. School attendees are typically
gender-balanced and have included students from non-traditional Arctic
countries (e.g., Iran, Brazil, Egypt). The FAMOS School has been very
successful, as measured by participant feedback and by the number of
applications received (i.e., more than we can accommodate each year). A
key outcome has been to bolster confidence in the early-career students,
so that they are more willing to actively participate in the following
days’ activities. This is also enhanced by naming them as session and
discussion chairs, and by suppressing the tendency of senior scientists
to “hog the microphone.” Discussion at FAMOS workshops has
significantly influenced the focus of many PhD projects and spawned a
number of student-led research papers. A main lesson learned from the
FAMOS School is that just inviting students to a workshop or into a
research community is not enough: One must also take active steps to
foster confidence and give them a voice. The good news is that this
really works.